...about to reset tank, once i get home.

[alvinchan80]

Hmmmm... That's sounds like a plan. So basically without shrimps, I do not need the fan on as well right?

Don't on fan..
Don't on light..
Don't add shrimps..
Don't add plants..
Don't add fertilizer..

Just plain cycling while monitoring the ammonia, nitrite & nitrate..

It is always due to a term we shrimp keepers used called 'Itchy Hand Syndrome' which causes a lot of problem and it seems to me that you have a serious IHS.. Haha..

Just cycle your tank and stop wanting to add or put stuff in... The only thing you should be doing now is monitor the 3 elements.. Ammonia. Nitrite & Nitrate..

Give your tank time to have a good bacteria colony..

Like a Chinese saying goes "If you want to rear sensitive fauna, learn to 'rear' water first"

[kermit13sg]

Don't on fan..
Don't on light..
Don't add shrimps..
Don't add plants..
Don't add fertilizer..

Just plain cycling while monitoring the ammonia, nitrite & nitrate..

It is always due to a term we shrimp keepers used called 'Itchy Hand Syndrome' which causes a lot of problem and it seems to me that you have a serious IHS.. Haha..

Just cycle your tank and stop wanting to add or put stuff in... The only thing you should be doing now is monitor the 3 elements.. Ammonia. Nitrite & Nitrate..

Give your tank time to have a good bacteria colony..

Like a Chinese saying goes "If you want to rear sensitive fauna, learn to 'rear' water first"

Hi Alvin

Ok..appreciate the advice but it has been 2.5 weeks, plants are already in there now.

Do i need to remove them? And I think I can understand cycling time is not fixed, so we just keep testing water till we achieve the correct parameters? Say on a weekly test? is it like that?

[alvinchan80]

Hi Alvin

Ok..appreciate the advice but it has been 2.5 weeks, plants are already in there now.

Do i need to remove them? And I think I can understand cycling time is not fixed, so we just keep testing water till we achieve the correct parameters? Say on a weekly test? is it like that?

Yes bro.. Test it weekly will be just nice.. Once the test is good to go, you can do a minor water change of 10-15% then get ready to put in your shrimps the next day or so...

If you plants are in there already, you can keep your lights on but fertilizer, I think it's better to stop dosing first.. It will be good to see if your shrimps happily in the tank before you start dosing fertilizer.. I would risk my plants dying but not my shrimps if I were you..

Any help you need, PM me.. Cheers..

[kermit13sg]

Yes bro.. Test it weekly will be just nice.. Once the test is good to go, you can do a minor water change of 10-15% then get ready to put in your shrimps the next day or so...

If you plants are in there already, you can keep your lights on but fertilizer, I think it's better to stop dosing first.. It will be good to see if your shrimps happily in the tank before you start dosing fertilizer.. I would risk my plants dying but not my shrimps if I were you..

Any help you need, PM me.. Cheers..

Thanks for the advice, will test water tonight and see how it goes.

And yes, agree with you I do, plants wither better than shrimps death.

[marimo]

as a fact i suggest check every 3 days for water parameter so that you can catch the ending 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite as early before hand as nitrate will be going up

once you know its the ending cycling, prepare aged water 1 night before that and do a WC to bring down the nitrate introduce floating plants to further absorb nitrate

then for me i wait for about 24 hrs again and check ammonia and nitrite spikes possibly caused by disturbance of substance. I use the plastic bag method to cover the top and pour water in slowly on top. Did not touch the soil at all.

If not introduce 1st round of livestock and monitor 24,48,72 hours later to see if the BB can handle the bioload, ammonia and nitrite still 0 means you have successful load enough BB to break down waste product. if not maybe can add abit more Bt-9 weekly.

I have a feeling its already cycled and the byproduct nitrate is high, thats why algae bloom.. may be BW lush also

[kermit13sg]

Ok, to be honest, I have not check water parameters at all since I started cycling. Perhaps I should do it soon so you good fellas can have a better understanding of my tank condition to help me.

I have some frogbits in there already.

One question, how many guinea shrimps shall I try assuming water is good?

Then finally, what is a suitable number of shrimps my 1.5x1x1ft.


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[marimo]

-_- you did not test throughout the cycling?

1stly you need to have a ammonia spike , rotten food can only give that much , and depending on food and tank size, some only give like 1mg/l , usually people hike it to 3-5 mg/l

With enough ammonia ensure that there enough to convert to nitrite then to nitrate

So in plain more ammonia kicks start building a bigger colony

BT-9 will decompose the ammonia and nitrite which you have already add in

when theres not much ammonia in the 1st place, the party doesnt start

One question, how many guinea shrimps shall I try assuming water is good?

Then finally, what is a suitable number of shrimps my 1.5x1x1ft.

i think 5 is a good number. you have to factor some that may stressed to death during traveling and acclimation . some just cant make it there if you are unlucky.
Remember dont feed them for 24 hours in your tank. let them adapt and feed on the bio load. Next monitor their molting , it has to be complete shell and not too often for adults. Then its a good sign.

there is a calculator for livestock per litre .. but who cares..
Once a few is berried, you should be worrying of overcrowding instead.

[kermit13sg]

oh dear.....

[kermit13sg]

Scrubbed off algae...

Tested water and results are as shown:-
gH 30
pH 6
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 40

How is it? I didn't test ammonia because I ain't got the test kit.


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[alvinchan80]

Scrubbed off algae...

Tested water and results are as shown:-
gH 30
pH 6
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 40

How is it? I didn't test ammonia because I ain't got the test kit.


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Are you sure that your GH is 30dGH? Meaning you dropped 30 drops of liquid before it changes color?

30dGH is extremely high...

[kermit13sg]

Sorry, gH is 30-60, color somewhere in the range...


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[kermit13sg]

Sorry...
30-60 ppm which is 1.7-3.4dGH


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[alvinchan80]

Sorry...
30-60 ppm which is 1.7-3.4dGH


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Oh.. Ok, so you measuring ppm.. Let say you slowly increase it to 4-6dGH which will be ideal for most shrimps..

You can add in a small BorneoWild mineral rock (small tiny one because your tank is not bigger den 2 feet right?) or you can dose some mineral powder or mineral plus.. Anyway, better to cycle for a little longer.. Patience is the key..

Actually if your ammonia & nitrite is zero, your cycle should be almost done.. You can try add in 1-2 guppies to carry on the cycle (guppies shit to create ammonia) at this point until adding of shrimps then remove the guppies...

[kermit13sg]

Ok I have mineral plus.

Assuming I do not want to get guppies, can I throw another piece of food and let it disintegrate?

Or you're recommending guppies cause it's faster ammonia than rotting food? Betta can or not?

So I don't do top up anymore? Wait till end of week to do a WC with seachem prime aged water?

How long more should I cycle?


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[alvinchan80]

Ok I have mineral plus.

Assuming I do not want to get guppies, can I throw another piece of food and let it disintegrate?

Or you're recommending guppies cause it's faster ammonia than rotting food? Betta can or not?

So I don't do top up anymore? Wait till end of week to do a WC with seachem prime aged water?

How long more should I cycle?


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I prefer guppy because they do natural process (shit)..

You place a food but they rot, smell & spoil the water..

Since you cycled for 2weeks then 2 more weeks to be safe... Cheers

[Ecalyte]

With 0 Nitrite and such high Nitrate, your cycling is done. This is provided you did not add any external source of nitrates into the tank.

Now it's a matter of how big of a bacteria colony you currently have.

Add your life stock little by little.. this will slowly build up your tank's bacteria colony and allow it to 'mature'.

[kermit13sg]

hey thanks all

maybe i should be 'kiasu' a bit and cycle a bit more...

[marimo]

Tested water and results are as shown:-
gH 30
pH 6
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 40

How is it? I didn't test ammonia because I ain't got the test kit.

can i know what exactly what food are you throwing inside to rot?
if you are throwing pellets of fish food, then its no use
if you are throwing in a prawn (the one we cook and eat) , then its good

If you still have money, and willing to spend
buy these 2
ammonia test kit, should be able to get cheap at $10+ at C328
ammonia bicarbonate powder from phoon huat (search google) got mine at bencoolen.. i explain why at the end here

Your test
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 40

Nitrite 0 v.good, very likely ammonia is 0 too or still decomposing excess ammonia into nitrite then to nitrate

Nitrate 40 high, thats why your algae bloom, i dont think BW lush will cause nitrate higher as it should be shrimp friendly


your stage of cycling situation A
Ended.. ammonia and nitrite has been decomposed by Bt-9 into nitrate
Nitrate should be bring to minimum and 40 is high
usually do a large WC and should bring it to half like 20
you can do it 2nd time to bring to 10
assuming BB is active already

your stage of cycling situation B
Your cycle has ended long ago
And the BB is starving
You need to test efficiency of BB by adding ammonia and see how fast they react
Thats why you need to buy ammonia bicarbonate powder and dose it directly to simulate shyt. You then measure how much ammonia is in the tank, i think at this point 1-2ppm should be good
Then within 24 hours, measure again. ammonia should be lowered very fast

your stage of cycling situation C
Uncertain and no ammonia kit .. which is like Now
That is why they suggest to add guppy to help shyt into the tank, a real life BB test
I know you dont wish to buy guppy, so ammonia bircarbonate does the trick

Add your life stock little by little.. this will slowly build up your tank's bacteria colony and allow it to 'mature'.

This is the same scenario to slowly build up waste product to feed the existing BB.
because the BB grow by multiplication.
so you can add example 2 ottos, then 4 snails, then 6 shrimps, then 12 shrimps
then as the BB feed on waste and grow, it can handle 2 times the load as last time and goes on.